


Evening Mint Tea

by yukiz0me



Category: Dangan Ronpa, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Fluff, M/M, One Shot, amasai, pre-release
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-07
Updated: 2016-11-07
Packaged: 2018-08-29 18:46:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8501185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yukiz0me/pseuds/yukiz0me
Summary: A mint-haired fox whose entire personality is a syrupy disguise… His type are ones that never dare to take the risk with owlish guys.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Almost 100% headcanon-based, self-indulgent stuff! I kept a lot of things vague on purpose, since I feel that it works best that way considering the limited info we know about NDRV3. At the time of writing this, I know <5% about the characters’ canon personalities, so if anyone’s reading this in the future for some reason, please keep that in mind. This probably won’t be IC at all when the game actually releases, but it was fun for me to muse about and write up.
> 
> With all that said… I hope you enjoy the fic! If you do, kudos and/or comments are extremely appreciated~ ☆

“S'il vous plaît, mon cheri?”

With a sigh, Akamatsu stopped playing and turned to look at Amami, only to find that he had somehow snuck on top of the piano, laying there propped up on one elbow. From an outsider’s perspective the scene would look as if it had been ripped straight out of a cliché romance novel (and truth be told— it _was_ ridiculous) but Akamatsu knew better.

“Amami, since when did you speak  _French_?” Pausing for just a brief moment, she thought back to her friend’s request. “Besides, no way. You can ask that kind of thing yourself. You’re not a kid, you know.”

Another sigh could be heard, although this time it came from Amami and it was much more drawn-out in both a somewhat melodic yet completely exaggerated way. Scooting a little closer whilst still maintaining his daffy pose, Amami decided it was time to bring out his secret weapon.

“Please, Kaede-chan~? ☆”

His eyes glimmered and a pout formed, all according to—

“Nope.” — _Damn it._  “Those eyes won’t fool me! Ask Ouma or Iruma for help if you really think you need it.”

Oh well. It wasn’t really a surprise to Amami. He knew his secret weapon wouldn’t work on his blonde-haired companion. After all, he’d tried countless times before, but she had always picked up on it and it hadn’t affected her in the slightest. In fact, Akamatsu seemed to be the only person who his act _didn’t_ work on. It had at least _swayed_ the others, even if only a little. Saihara included. Although, surely the SHSL Detective himself must be able to easily identify Amami’s act so why…?

Snapping himself back to the conversation in an attempt to not come across as utterly rude, Amami feigned contemplating the suggestions that he had been given whilst lost in thought.

“Hmm… Nope, that won’t do.” Letting out another melodramatic sigh, Amami gave his elbow a rest and decided to lay his back flat on the piano, turning his gaze to the ceiling above. “Ouma and Miu-chan would find it too boring. It’s not anything extravagant like my previous master plan, so…”

Trying with all her might not to blatantly roll her eyes at the usage of ‘master plan’ in regards to Amami’s last scheme, Akamatsu placed her hands onto her lap and mustered up a slightly skeptical look.

“I wouldn’t call waking everyone up in the middle of the night to summon them to the dining hall, declaring status: urgent, then proceeding to ‘enlighten’ us about how it’s a dire situation that you’re **too hot to function** whilst Ouma and Iruma suddenly skate in to start fanning you…” Taking a deep breath, she continued, “I… wouldn’t call _that_ a ‘master plan’, Amami.”

Unable to stop himself from dissolving into a small fit of giggles like a kid, Amami stretched his arms out above him and placed them underneath his head, using them as a makeshift cushion from the piano’s hard surface.

“Hey, those skates were _awesome_ though. Miu-chan even made them propelled by _fire_.”

Allowing the skeptical expression to fall from her face, Akamatsu quickly replaced said expression with one full of awe.

“Yeah, she did!” Dropping that ‘impressed’ look at the tip of a hat and exchanging it with one of the polar opposite, she reminded him, “And they **almost set the dining hall on fire**.”

Looking momentarily taken aback, Amami was quick to shake it off and offer a small chuckle. 

“Wow, Kaede-chan. Your acting skills are improving. I must be a good mentor.”

Acting skills aside, what she had said was indeed factual. Iruma confessed later on that the skates were still in their beta testing, but a _certain someone_ had convinced her that was fine and that she would have nothing to do with the end results if things were to go awry. The same certain someone who had offered to buy Ouma a years worth supply of Panta once they got out of here if he went along with their ludicrous ‘morale-raising’ plan.

All that was given in response was a resounding sigh, followed by a prolonged pause before Akamatsu finally spoke up.

“Don’t you have somebody you’re supposed to be looking for now? Don’t let me hold you up.”

Right. There was a reason why Amami had come here for help, after all. To seek out the one person who - with all things considered - he would probably be best off not even daring to approach. But he was curious. Ever so curious. And if, as they say, curiosity _does_ kill the cat… Well, it’s a good thing he never considered himself the cat type then. Yes, _foxes_ should be immune to such a saying.

“Ah, I do, but… I wonder he would be…” 

Performing his sentence more like a question than an ad lib, he let his words trail off whilst holding in a sigh. Too much sighing had already been done today.

“Don’t ask me. I’m not the Super High School Level Map.”

Seeing Amami’s face suddenly appear to be genuinely helpless, the pianist felt a bit guilty and piped up again.

“…Luckily enough, I bumped into him not so long ago. He said he was going to finish investigating and then relax with a cup of tea in the dining hall.”

As soon as the words left Akamatsu’s mouth, his face gradually lit up, almost comically so. _There we go._ She couldn’t help but smile to herself a little.

“Kaede-chan, you’re the best!” Amami removed himself from the piano, hopped onto the ground below, and turned to Akamatsu with what she could only describe as ‘eyes sparkling with so much glee that it’s as if they were pasted onto him right out of a shoujo manga’.

Pausing before she had even begin to speak, Akamatsu allowed a small laugh to escape her mouth and nodded towards the door. “Just go on. You interrupted my practice, so you better make it count.”

Taking those firm words of encouragement with him, Amami waltzed over to the door and turned to face his friend once more before departing.

“Thanks. I will.”

Giving what very well may have been his most genuine smile yet, he left Akamatsu with those words.

 

* * *

 

 

After gracefully navigating through many corridors, it didn’t take very long for Amami to reach the dining hall. Poking his head inside to survey the area, he immediately took notice of the raven-haired boy dressed in all black who was sat in one of the room’s many seats, by a table, taking a sip of what Amami assumed to be his tea. Deciding to gather his thoughts before approaching the other, he took a moment for himself when suddenly—

“What are you doing, Amami-kun?”

Well, he’d been spotted. Playing it off with an airy laugh, Amami stepped out from where he had been and went to stand over by the table that Saihara was sitting at, slightly leaning on it with one of his hands.

A closed-eye smile overtaking his face, the response he gave to Saihara’s question was yet another question. “Would it be strange if I said that I just wanted to see you, Shuu-chan?”

Saihara wouldn’t question why he had been given this nickname. He hadn’t asked about it before and didn’t feel the need to now. After all, Amami spoke in a pretty much identical way to the others too, par Ouma since he insisted otherwise being the Supreme Ruler that is ~~supposedly~~ is.

Taking a quick sip of his tea, Saihara thought about how to answer for a moment. Many might consider it rude to answer a question with another question, but it didn’t faze him much, if at all. 

“I don’t suppose it would be that strange. Lurking in the doorway like you were, however… _That_ could be considered a little odd.”

Amami laughed— involuntarily and genuinely this time. He wasn’t wrong at all. There was more of a reason why he had come here, although the one he had hinted at in his question there wasn’t exactly a lie.

Running a hand through his messy hair, his response came quickly after his moment of laughing has ceased. “Okay, okay. I’m here to ask what you — the Super High School Level Detective — think of me.”

A blank look was directed Amami’s way as the detective himself pondered this request. Was he asking if Saihara had him pegged as a suspicious person? Hm, no, it didn’t quite seem like he was asking that. It was more like the former was just utterly curious about how he was perceived in the eyes of a detective; or more accurately, how Saihara saw him. There didn’t seem to be much to it, but it felt as if there was another question Amami wanted to ask…

Saihara considered the request for a moment before replying, “You… always do unexpected things. You’re hard to analyse.”

Not even changing his expression in the slightest, the reply came swiftly and without falter.

“Oh, really? I didn’t realise.”

There wasn’t even a hint of sarcasm to be found in his voice, and yet an indescribable twinge of emotion pricked at Saihara. Somehow, this response that gave away absolutely nothing… This response that he couldn’t even analyse… It felt like a challenge of sorts.

Narrowing his eyes a little, Saihara spoke up again, this time with more conviction.

“There is one thing I’ve noticed…” Taking Amami’s head tilt as encouragement to go on, the detective proceeded to state his observations. “Your every word sounds as if it’s been scripted, which your pause before entering this room backs up… You somehow manage to subtly change your entire aura on a whim… You say that you don’t remember your talent, but such a claim would be _easy_ for the Super High School Level—”

Suddenly, he was silenced by a finger placed delicately on his lips. Amami’s finger, to be precise.

“It’s no fun if you figure it out that quickly. So, play along… **Please?** ”

Cheeks tinted ever so slightly pink from the sudden contact, Saihara inched his face away to speak as the other shone imploring eyes at him. He could swear that those eyes were literally sparkling, but such a thing couldn’t be possible.

“…If you say so.”

 _Got him._ Those two words rang through Amami’s head as soon as the subject of his unforeseen finger shush had backed down.

Retracting his finger from its now idle position in the air, Amami leapt into the seat next to Saihara. Placing his elbows on the table, he interlocked his own hands together and rested his chin on them, looking up at the other with a complicated look. If Saihara were to describe that look, it would be something akin to playfulness, but at the same time held serious curiosity.

“You lied.”

No response.

“You said you’d only noticed one thing about me, but… You’ve noticed my secret weapon. My puppy dog eyes.”

Silence filled the air yet again before it was finally broken.

“…Come again?”

In all honesty, Saihara suspected that he knew what Amami was referring to, but it sounded ridiculous when he worded it like that. His _puppy dog eyes_? They had been bright and begging, but he had never associated them with that of a puppy’s. Yes, he had noticed that glint in Amami’s eyes before, but he had seen other people’s ‘puppy dog eyes’ in the past and they never seemed like his. Was it because Amami was so good at putting on an act? Or… was there something else? It made him curious; not just as a detective, but as a person.

“And yet they still work on you… You _let_ them work on you… Why?”

Another question. The question that he had been wanting to ask all along, Saihara assumed, and he certainly wouldn’t be incorrect in thinking so. However, there was true irony in the fact that he himself didn’t know a definite answer to this question. At the same time as fascinating him, the prospect of not being able to analyse his own emotions and reactions… It was unnerving.

“I…” Clearing his throat, Saihara decided to reply with an obvious lie. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

The response sounded raw and forced. Perhaps it wasn’t the time for thinking so but this might have just been the worst lie Amami had ever heard. Saihara wore his heart on his sleeve most of the time, and his poor performance in this instant definitely reflected that. Feeling somewhat guilty, Amami relaxed his composure by leaning away and stretching backwards in his seat, his usual carefree aura returning little by little from the intensity of before.

“Maybe I pushed you a bit too much… Sorry, Shuu-chan~ ♪”

Releasing a breath that he didn’t know he had been holding in, the pressure in the atmosphere seemed to cool down as Saihara answered. “It’s fine… Maybe you should get some rest, though.”

It had been a long day, so it was easy for Saihara to deduct that he probably needed it. Everything felt so complicated and strange… Maybe all their exchanged words were just the tiredness talking. Possibly.

“You don’t need to worry about me, but…” As if perfectly rehearsed (and, Saihara figured, it very well might’ve been), a yawn escaped Amami’s mouth. “You’re right. I’ll be off then! Although, before I go, could you just look over there for 10 seconds?”

Pointing to a random spot behind Saihara, he waited for acknowledgement of his request, which came in the form of raised eyebrows that he could tell were asking just why exactly this was necessary. Instead of giving a verbal response, Amami used his secret weapon; the puppy dog eyes. A sigh was heard, but Saihara turned to face the random spot that was being pleadingly pointed at.

Holding back a grin, Amami placed a piece of paper quickly but carefully onto the table in front of Saihara, then proceeded to sprint out of the room. Hearing the other run away at full speed, Saihara turned back— alas, he was too late. _Was that rehearsed too?_

“Wha—” He stopped when he noticed the paper in front of him. Immediately examining it out of pure detective instinct, his eyes scanned the words written on it.

> **Invite me to drink tea with you next time?**

The handwriting was rather clumsy… Had Amami written this whilst walking to the dining hall? It was like… he had been rushing… to see him…

> **If so, it’s a date~ ☆**

Feeling his face get warmer as his thoughts slowed down to properly process the words in front of him, Saihara muffled his face with the note, as if he were trying to cover his embarrassment from a non-existent crowd.

“Y-You really are… unpredictable…” 

Regardless… _It’s a date._


End file.
